About the project

• Our initiative aims to understand the regulation of the branching mechanism in hybrid aspen (Populus tremula x P. tremuloides). Being a model tree of the Populus family, its genome has been sequenced, and many genes are annotated. Hybrid aspen branches in a proleptic style where the growing shoot apex prevents axillary branching from newly formed side buds.
• This phenomenon is known as apical dominance and is under intensive investigation. However, it is not completely understood yet. The emerging picture is that branching is regulated by a network of plant hormones (auxins, strigolactones, abscisic acid, gibberellins, cytokinins), nutrients (sugars, nitrogen, phosphates), and external cues (light, temperature).
• We will combine multidisciplinary approaches, including (i) studying hybrid aspen whole plant growth and development, (ii) cytokinin and sugar signalling gene expression, and (iii) analyses of primary and secondary metabolites.
• The realization of this initiative will shed light on the poorly understood regulation of hybrid aspen branching, which plays a major role in biomass production.
• Our results will establish how cytokinin and different sugar molecules regulate the hybrid aspen growth and branching on the whole plant level. By focusing on the meristems and axillary buds, our results will also identify the mechanism of sugar-cytokinin crosstalk in regulating axillary bud inhibition, bud release, and sustained bud growth.

This project is led by Palacký University Olomouc (UPOL) Czech republic

Participants

External participants

• Dr. Danuše Tarkowská (Prosjektleder)
  Palacký University Olomouc (UPOL) Czech republic